10 Best Country-themed Young Adult Books Rediscovering the Charm of Rural Areas
Alright, folks! Harness your inner farm spirit, kick off those city shoes and prepare yourselves for a big scoop of the simple life, because we're taking a trip into the heart of the country. Yeehaw! Now, you might be rolling your eyes thinking that the country life is all about haystacks, corn fields, and hollering 'howdy!' but boy, are you in for a surprise.
We've compiled a list of 10 sublime young adult novels that breathe life into the charm and mystery of rural areas. These books will not only take you on tractor rides through sprawling fields and intimate barn dances, but they also do a sterling job unveiling the complexities, surprises, and heartfelt connections that thrive beneath the seemingly slow country life. Expect to encounter characters as resilient as the landscapes they inhabit.
We're talking sprightly cowgirls, brooding farmhands, wise grandmas and small-town secrets - all woven together in narratives that are as lush and full as a harvest moon. Whether you're a born-and-raised city slicker or a certified country mouse, this list will make you rediscover the allure of the countryside from a fresh perspective. So, saddle up, people. Let's hit the dusty trail and lose ourselves in these countryside tales.
『Famous in a Small Town』
For Sophie, small town life has never felt small. With her four best friends—loving, infuriating, and all she could ever ask for—she can weather any storm. But when Sophie’s beloved Acadia High School marching band is selected to march in the upcoming Rose Parade, it’s her job to get them all the way to LA. Her plan? To persuade country singer Megan Pleasant, their Midwestern town’s only claim to fame, to come back to Acadia to headline a fundraising festival. The only problem is that Megan has very publicly sworn never to return. What ensues is a journey filled with long-kept secrets, hidden heartbreaks, and revelations that could change everything—along with a possible fifth best friend: a new guy with a magnetic smile and secrets of his own.
Author | Emma Mills |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Henry Holt and Company (BYR) |
Release Date | Jan 15, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Summer I Turned Pretty』
Belly has spent her summers at the beach house with Conrad and Jeremiah, who had never noticed her noticing them. Every summer Belly hoped it would be different. This time, it is. The summer that Belly turns pretty is the summer that changes everything--for better and for worse.
Author | Jenny Han |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | May 31, 2022 |
Source | Google Books |
『As You Wish』
From bestselling author Chelsea Sedoti comes a thought-provoking contemporary young adult book about a small desert town filled with Mojave magic where everyone gets to make a wish on their eighteenth birthday. If you could make one wish that was guaranteed to come true—what would you wish for? Rules for Wishing: Never let an outsider find out about wishing. (Zip your lips and throw away the key.) Wishes that would impact the world are off limits (i.e. no bringing back the dinosaurs). Do no harm. (Murder = no bueno.) No time travel. (What's done is done, pal.) No bringing back the dead. (Come on. You've seen what happens in THE WALKING DEAD.) NEVER BREAK THE RULES. (Seriously. We mean it. See Rule #7.) There are always consequences. Most of Eldon's classmates have had their wishes picked out for months, even years. Not Eldon. He's seen how wishing has hurt the people around him. His parents' marriage is strained, his sister is a virtual ghost in their house, his ex-girlfriend is dating his ex-friend...where does he even begin? One thing is for sure: Eldon has only twenty-six days to figure it out—and the rest of his life to live with the consequences. Perfect for: Readers who like magical realism YA Fans of John Green, Jandy Nelson, and The Sun is Also a Star Educators and parents who want to start conversations about consequences People looking for young adult books best sellers Also by Chelsea Sedoti: It Came from the Sky The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett Praise for As You Wish: "Heartbreaking, other times hilarious, but always thought-provoking. An unexpectedly affecting book that will have readers pondering what they would wish for if given the chance."—Booklist "Poignant... Will inspire readers to explore the question: if you could have one wish, what would it be?"—Kirkus "An engrossing read, fantastical and believable at the same time."—Horn Book Magazine "Depending on the reader, this novel offers different levels of intensity, starting with the everyday sort of teen troubles, progressing to difficult family dynamics, and reaching up to the ethical dilemmas wishing can create—all while being easy to read and hard to put down."—VOYA
Author | Chelsea Sedoti |
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Price | $8.79 |
Publisher | Sourcebooks, Inc. |
Release Date | Jan 02, 2018 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Last Boy and Girl in the World』
Originally published in hardcover in 2016 by Simon & Schuster BFYR.
Author | Siobhan Vivian |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | Feb 28, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『Between Two Skies』
Enjoying a quiet life in a tiny Louisiana fishing town, sixteen-year-old Evangeline is set adrift by Hurricane Katrina and must work through difficult political and cultural challenges to regain her sense of belonging.
Author | Joanne O'Sullivan |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Candlewick Press |
Release Date | Apr 25, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『This Is What Happy Looks Like』
From the author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight comes a humorous and heartwarming novel about small towns, big love, and mistaken email identity. When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?
Author | Jennifer E. Smith |
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Price | $8.99 |
Publisher | Poppy |
Release Date | Apr 02, 2013 |
Source | Google Books |
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Price | unknown |
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Release Date | |
Source | Google Books |
『Wonders of the Invisible World』
STONEWALL HONOR BOOK • For fans of Patrick Ness and Tom McNeal comes a moving and page-turning novel that’s part ghost story, part love story. The lines between past and present, tales and truth, friends and lovers begin to blur when a boy's childhood friend returns to town. Aidan Lockwood lives in a sleepy farming community known for its cattle ranches and not much else. That is, until Jarrod, a friend he hasn’t seen in years, moves back to town. It’s Jarrod who opens Aidan’s eyes to events he’s long since forgotten, and who awakes in him feelings that go beyond mere friendship. But as Aidan’s memories return, so do some unsettling truths about his family. As Aidan begins to probe into long-buried secrets, he may not be able to control what else is uncovered. Aidan will need to confront a family curse before he can lay claim to his life once more. “Brilliant storytelling that unearths new intersections of love and magic.” —New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld
Author | Christopher Barzak |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Ember |
Release Date | Sep 06, 2016 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Serpent King』
Named to ten BEST OF THE YEAR lists and selected as a William C. Morris Award Winner,The Serpent King is the critically acclaimed, much-beloved story of three teens who find themselves--and each other--while on the cusp of graduating from high school with hopes of leaving their small-town behind. Perfect for fans of John Green's Turtles All the Way Down. "Move over, John Green; Zentner is coming for you." —The New York Public Library “Will fill the infinite space that was left in your chest after you finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” —BookRiot.com Dill isn't the most popular kid at his rural Tennessee high school. After his father fell from grace in a public scandal that reverberated throughout their small town, Dill became a target. Fortunately, his two fellow misfits and best friends, Travis and Lydia, have his back. But as they begin their senior year, Dill feels the coils of his future tightening around him. His only escapes are music and his secret feelings for Lydia--neither of which he is brave enough to share. Graduation feels more like an ending to Dill than a beginning. But even before then, he must cope with another ending--one that will rock his life to the core. Debut novelist Jeff Zentner provides an unblinking and at times comic view of the hard realities of growing up in the Bible belt, and an intimate look at the struggles to find one’s true self in the wreckage of the past. “A story about friendship, family and forgiveness, it’s as funny and witty as it is utterly heartbreaking.” —PasteMagazine.com “A brutally honest portrayal of teen life . . . [and] a love letter to the South from a man who really understands it.” —Mashable.com “I adored all three of these characters and the way they talked to and loved one another.”—New York Times
Author | Jeff Zentner |
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Price | $7.99 |
Publisher | Ember |
Release Date | Jun 06, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Smell of Other People's Houses』
“Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock’s Alaska is beautiful and wholly unfamiliar…. A thrilling, arresting debut.” —Gayle Forman, New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay and I Was Here “[A] singular debut. . . . [Hitchcock] weav[es] the alternating voices of four young people into a seamless and continually surprising story of risk, love, redemption, catastrophe, and sacrifice.” —The Wall Street Journal This deeply moving and authentic debut set in 1970s Alaska is for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and Benjamin Alire Saenz. Intertwining stories of love, tragedy, wild luck, and salvation on the edge of America’s Last Frontier introduce a writer of rare talent. Ruth has a secret that she can’t hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck strikes. Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance, with the life she’s always known on her family’s fishing boat. Hank and his brothers decide it’s safer to run away than to stay home—until one of them ends up in terrible danger. Four very different lives are about to become entangled. This unforgettable William C. Morris Award finalist is about people who try to save each other—and how sometimes, when they least expect it, they succeed. Praise: William C. Morris Finalist Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction Tayshas Reading List—Top 10 List New York Public Library’s Best 50 Books for Teens Chicago Public Library, Best of the Best List Shelf Awareness, Best Children’s & Teen Books of the Year Nominated to the Oklahoma Sequoya Book Award Master List Nominated to the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award “Hitchcock’s debut resonates with the timeless quality of a classic. This is a fascinating character study—a poetic interweaving of rural isolation and coming-of-age.” —John Corey Whaley, award-winning author of Where Things Come Back and Highly Illogical Behavior “As an Alaskan herself, Bonnie Sue Hitchcock is able to bring alive this town, and this group of poor teens and their families that live there.” —Bustle
Author | Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Ember |
Release Date | Feb 21, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
That sums up our pick of the top 10 country-themed young adult books that faithfully capture the rustic charm of rural areas. There's just something utterly magical about the countryside, isn't there? It's like stepping into a painting, brimming with life yet steeped in tranquility. If you, like me, are a city slicker who's occasionally caught daydreaming about open fields, sunsets over the farm, a slower pace of life or a strong sense of community, then these books are for you. Each offers a unique journey into the vast expanses of rural life, whether through the lense of romance, mystery, or coming-of-age narratives. The enduring charm of these books lies not just in the compelling storylines and well-crafted characters, but also in the vivid portrayal of bucolic landscapes and the hardy people who inhabit them. So, grab a mug of steaming hot cocoa, find a cozy nook, and escape into these wonder-filled, rural stories. Who knows, they just might stir up your inner country kid!
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